A Hero's Journey
by Jen645
Summary: AU Chi Chi dies during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?
1. Prologue

AN: I realize I'm not really good with One- Shots. So I'll try this. Please read and then tell me what you think about it. This story starts after the Cell Games. Also Gohan is OOC in this fic. But I hope you enjoy it!

Summary: AU Chi Chi does during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own dbz. If I did Gohan wouldn't be such a nerd after the Cell Games.

-A Hero's Journey-

Prologue

_How am I how am I gonna tell mom about that her husband died and refuses to come back?_ Gohan was currently flying back home to Mt. Paozu. The Cell Games had just ended and Goku refused to come back.

_Man I shouldn't even have to tell her this. Dang it dad! Why did you have to go! Mom needs you! I need you! _ Suddenly the small home in the middle of the forest came up. _Here goes nothing._

Gohan landed in front of the house, took a deep breath and walked in. "Mom?" He called out. So far there was only silence that welcomed him. Then suddenly there was a loud crash and Chi Chi was seen running up to him.

"GOHAN! OH MY DARLING! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? ARE YOU HURT?" she suddenly grabbed him and began to check for any cuts and bruises.

Gohan sighed and then said, "No mom. I'm alright. But-"

"Oh! That's great! Now was your father? I swear he will pay for letting you fight against that monster. Oh when he gets here I'll-"

"Dad's not coming back."There was total silence as Chi Chi began to absorb the new information given to her. "What?" she said barley above a whisper.

"Mom… Cell was going to blow up the whole world, so dad used Instant Transmission to teleport himself and Cell to another planet. He saved us all.

"But… Can't the dragonballs bring him back?"

"It can but…. Dad doesn't want to come back. He thinks it would be better that he stayed in the otherworld because all the enemies that we faced always seem to be after him." _Fool. He just wants to stay up there and train. I just can't believe he's really doing this to us._

Then a loud sob broke through the silence and Gohan watched as Chi Chi fell to the ground sobbing. "WHY!" she yelled. " WHY IS HE DOING THIS TO US? DOESN'T HE KNOW HOW MUCH WE NEED HIM?"

_That's exactly what I thought_.Gohan then knelt beside his mother, gave her a hug and said, "Mom I don't know why he's really doing this. But everything will be all right. I promise"

Then they both stayed like that for a couple of minutes.

* * *

A few months had past and things were just fine. A few weeks after the Cell Games incident, Chi Chi had found out she was pregnant. Needless to say, Gohan was not only shocked, but also infuriated at not only himself but also his father. _Dang it! Now my little brother or sister has to go through their whole lives not knowing their dad. This is all my fault! If only I hadn't been so cocky. Uh… dad probably doesn't know about this. But that doesn't give him a reason of why he should stay in the otherworld. I still need him. DAD WHY WON'T YOU COME BACK!_

Gohan spent the entire nine months helping out his mom in whatever way he can. He helped cooked, clean an even studied when she wanted him to. But finally, it was time.

"Gohan! Come quick! The baby's coming!" Three minutes passed and soon everything was ready to go.

"NIMBUUUUSSSSS!" Gohan called for the small yellow cloud and within a few seconds fast the cloud came. "C'mon Nimbus. We need to get to Capsule Corp and fast. But be careful alright?" The cloud seemed to understand because when they flew to West City, (AN: I think that's where Capsule Corp is. I'm not entirely sure. If I'm wrong, please forgive me) Nimbus went fast but at a good speed in which Chi Chi didn't fall off.

"Bulma! Bulma!" Gohan frantically began to search for the Capsule Corp president when they entered the room.

"Gohan?" He turned around and saw Bulma Briefs come into the room. "What's up kiddo?"

"My mom! She's ready to have the baby!"

"Oh boy. Alright get her to the med room fast. We'll get everything set up."

"Okay."

"And Gohan?"

"Yes?"

"Try not to worry. Everything will be alright."

-Line Break Thing-

Four long agonizing hours has passed since Chi Chi was taken to the Medical room. Since then, the all the Z-fighters had arrived in waiting for the new baby. But while everyone was sitting around, Gohan was pacing back and forth.

"Boy! Stop the absurd pacing! It's getting on my nerve!" Vegeta yelled.

Gohan stopped for a moment and gave a slight glare to him. "Well excuse me for worrying about the well being of my mother. Mr. Prince of only two people."

"Why you insolent brat! How dare you talk to prince like that! You know how many people cowered at the mere sound of my voice! Do you-"

"Alright. Both of you just stop." Piccolo said. "You both are acting like a bunch of children."

Vegeta grunted and walked off and Gohan resumed pacing around the room. However this time Piccolo stopped him. "Hey kid. Are you alright?"

Gohan stopped and sighed. "I'm not sure. I mean my mom's giving birth and… I don't know."

"Don't worry about it. She'll be alright."

"Yeah Gohan." Krillan added. "Your mom's strong. She'll make it." Just then Bulma walked in with tears in her eyes.

_Oh no. _"What's wrong Bulma?" Gohan asked worriedly.

"Y-Your mother. S-Something went wrong and she lost a lot of blood. I-I'm sorry Gohan. I did the best I could. I really did. But she didn't make it." Bulma chocked out.

Everyone was silent. Gohan stood there with a shocked look on his face. A few minutes passed and he said, "The baby. What happened to the baby?"

"He survived. Your mother wanted to name him Goten. He's in the crib right now." Gohan just nodded his head and walked out the door. Once outside, Gohan shot off into the air and landed in a desolate area. Once there he powered up as high as he could.

"WHY!" Gohan yelled. "WHY ME?" Suddenly, in a big flash of light, Gohan's hair began spike up all the way but only one lock of hair fell down. He had once again turned into a super saiyan two.  


* * *

AN: Well I think that's it for today. If the story gets decent viewers, I'll try to update ASAP. I also need a beta-reader, so PM if you wanna be it. Don't forget to review.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Wow. So far this story turned out pretty well. Anyway, thanks to all the people who reviewed and stuff. I think with my schedule I can update quick but that will only depend on two things. One: How many reviews and viewers I get. And two: How busy I am during the week. But anyway please read and review. One more thing: I'm not much into swearing. So I won't really write those kind of words. I know it'll sound off, especially for Vegeta, but I'm sorry I won't do it.

Summary: AU Chi Chi does during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?

Disclaimer: I do not own dbz or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 1

Even though Gohan just turned into a Super Saiyan 2 once more, he didn't fully become aware of the power he had until Piccolo and Vegeta came. "Gohan! You have to calm down!" Piccolo yelled. But Gohan just ignored him and continued to power up. "Vegeta, we have to keep him from powering up or else his body will explode!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Vegeta snapped. _Darn brat. Doesn't he know what'll happen if he keeps powering up like that? _

Vegeta tried moving in but the lightning coming off of Gohan's power kept hitting him. So instead he just powered up to a Super Saiyan and hit a pressure point on the back on his Gohan's neck.

Gohan dropped out of his transformation and fell forward but Piccolo caught him in time. Then they all flew back to Capsule Corp.

* * *

_Uh… My head._ Gohan woke up in a few days later and saw that he was lying in a bed at Capsule Corp. _What happened? All I remember was Bulma telling me that mom died and that I ran out into the wild and just powered up._ It took a while for him to realize it, but soon Gohan remembered what happened.

_Oh ya… I just turned into a Super Saiyan 2 again. Man I really need to learn how to control my transformation or else somebody will get hurt__. And if I know Vegeta, he'll keep pestering me on how I should train so that I don't become like my "weakling race." Whatever I got to go and check on Goten._

Gohan got up and putted on a plain red shirt and some jeans. He walked downstairs and found Piccolo, Vegeta, and Bulma in the living room. "Hi." Gohan said in a quiet voice. Bulma then got up, hugged him and asked if he was going to be alright.

Gohan deeply sighed and said, "I honestly don't know. I mean I just lost my mom and I really don't know how to feel at the moment."

"Well, don't worry about it. I'll try to take care of everything. You know, like the funeral and stuff."

"Thanks Bulma, You're the best."

"No problem kiddo. Oh Social Services came by. Somehow they found out about your mom's death."

"So?"

"So… they want you and Goten to be placed in a foster home."

"What!" Gohan yelled. "They can't do that! I can take care of Goten myself!"

"Gohan you're missing the point. You're only 11-years-old. You're too young to take care of a child."

"I don't care! I won't let them take Goten away from me." Gohan said with tears in his eyes. "He's all I have left." Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Bulma took him into her arms and let him cry.

A few minutes passed until Bulma said, "Gohan I promise I won't let them separate you and Goten. Don't worry about it. I'll adopt both of you. Then when you turn 18 you can gain full guardianship of Goten."

"You promise?"

"I swear."

"Thanks Bulma."

"Weakling." Gohan heard Vegeta scoff silently. But Bulma still heard his comment.

"VEGETA! YOU JERK! GOHAN JUST LOST HIS MOTHER! HE DOESN'T NEED YOU TO BE INSULTING HIM RIGHT NOW!"

"LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT WEAKLING SPAWN OF KAKAROT!"

"WELL YOU SHOULD. GOHAN DID AFTER ALL SAVE YOUR LIFE!"

"WHY YOU-"Gohan didn't hear the rest of their little fall-out because he decided to go outside and get some fresh air.

* * *

Gohan was sitting on the roof when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw that it was Piccolo. "Hello Piccolo."

"You think you'll be alright kid?" Piccolo asked looking concerned.

"I hope. But I doubt if I'll recover anytime soon. The only thing still holding me together right now is Goten and I know that if anything ever happens to him, I don't know what I'll do."

"Right, but you do know that if you need anything just talk to me. I'll always be there for you kid. You know that."

"I know."

"Good now what else is bothering you?" Gohan looked at him in surprise and asked, "How'd you know?"

Piccolo smirked and said,"I've known you since you were a little boy Gohan. You can't hide anything from me."

_That's just creepy. _"Well it's about dad."

"Goku? What about him?"

"Well… He should've been here when everything happened. It's not like I'm not blaming myself or anything. No, I'm over that. It's just that dad should've been here ready to take care of me and Goten instead of Bulma. Not that I'm grateful or anything but it's just not her place to be taking care of us. I know mom can't come back because she died a natural death, but dad can. Problem is: he doesn't want to, 'it's for the sake of the Earth'."

"Gohan… you know how Goku is. He's a master tactician on the battlefield but clueless in life. He doesn't really know how to raise a family. You can't change who he is."

"I know that Piccolo. But it makes me so mad that dad thinks he should be doing what's best for the Earth instead of what's best for his family."

"I understand Gohan. But who knows? Maybe this is for the better."

"I hope so. But I swear dad's going to get what's coming to him if he returns to Earth. I'm not going to forgive him that easily."

"I understand."

-Line Break-

Gohan went back inside, late at night, and found Vegeta sleeping on the couch. _He_ _must've lost the argument against Bulma._ Gohan shook his head, went upstairs to the boys' room and saw Goten sleeping soundly in his crib._ Wow. He's like a miniature dad._

Gohan carefully picked up Goten and said to him, "I swear I will never do what _he_ did. I promise I will never abandon you." He then placed a kiss onto Goten's forehead and went to his room to sleep.

* * *

AN: Short but sweet. But it's not like that I hate Goku or anything it's just that I hate how he's always leaving his family and coming back to Earth like nothing happened. Anyway please review.(Ya... i kind of changed the chapter because when i was reading it again, i felt that there were some parts that didn't make sense so ya... Gohan's not a super saiyan 3 anymore. Please don't kill me. It just feels more realistic this way. But don't worry sooner or later he'll turn into one. But not right now)

Also, I'm kind of new to this stuff so if you wanna be my beta reader, PM me about it and send me a message of what I have to do to send you my story. Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 2

AN: I'm tired. The marines came to my school today and we had military drills. It was fun but really tiring. Anyway if you hadn't notice I changed chapters 1 and 2, so that Gohan didn't turn into a super saiyan 3. Please don't kill me! It's just that I was reading my story again and letting Gohan turn super saiyan 3 didn't really appeal to me as much as before. So sorry to all those who wanted him to be, but don't worry he'll become one later.

Summary: AU Chi Chi does during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?

Disclaimer: I do not own dbz. No matter how much I want to.

* * *

It's been a few months since Chi Chi's death and Gohan has been really depressed. All day he eats, sleeps, watches the kids, and then just locks himself in his room just to give himself time to think.

He also hasn't been training much and this has finally gotten on Vegeta's nerve.

"Brat!" he yelled. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your butt out there and train!"

"No I don't want to. Leave me alone Vegeta." Gohan complained. Vegeta growled, threw open the door, and then grabbed Gohan by the collar. "You're coming with me brat."

He then started dragging a protesting Gohan all the way to the gravity room. He then threw him into the room, locked the door, and turned up the gravity to 500gs.

"What's the big idea Vegeta?" Gohan yelled, barely standing up. "You can't just drag me all her just so you can make me train. I already told you I don't want to. Now leave me alone!"

"No a chance brat. I will not tolerate the rest of my race becoming weakling like these earthlings. You _will _train or so help me I will blast you and this mud ball of a planet into the next dimension."

Gohan growled and said,"Fine if you went to spend the rest of the day getting your butt kicked by a little boy then so be it." Gohan dropped into his stance and Vegeta did the same.

(AN: This is my first fighting scene so bear with me on this) Vegeta made the first move and tried to hit Gohan in the face. But Gohan dodged to the left only to be rewarded with a hard kick in the side.

Gohan flew back but stopped just in time before hitting the wall. He then propelled himself off the wall and landed an uppercut straight to Vegeta's face. Then they both engaged in a series of punching, kicking, and blocking. After a few minutes, they broke apart with both slightly panting.

"Ready to take it to the next level, boy?" Vegeta said with a slight smirk.

"You got it Vegeta." Then both fighters got into their horse stance and started to power up to their super saiyan forms.

Right when he was finished powering up, Gohan launched himself towards Vegeta ready to land an attack. Vegeta was prepared to block the attack, but was only rewarded with an after image.

_Where are you, brat?_ Vegeta thought as he was searching around for Gohan. Gohan reappeared in front of Vegeta and launched a volley of energy blasts.

Vegeta had just a second to react so he just crossed his arms in front of his face and took on the attack. When Gohan finished the attack, Vegeta launched himself toward him and punched him in the gut.

Gohan was winded for a few seconds, but then kicked Vegeta in the side. The two began to attack each other furiously once more until Vegeta ended the pattern by hitting Gohan in the stomach and then knocking him down to the floor.

Gohan managed to slow down himself down so the impact wasn't as harsh. He then looked up and saw that Vegeta was getting ready to launch a Final Flash. So he quickly devised a plan and decided it was no use. He cupped his hands by his waist and started chanting:

"Ka-"

"You may be a worthy opponent…" Vegeta started to say.

"Me-"

"But you are still the son of a low-class clown."

"Ha-"

"And I refuse to beaten by you."

"Me-"

"This ends here. I'll prove I'm the strongest in the world. Not you!"

"HA!"

"FINAL FLAAASH!"

The two attacks collided with neither fighter willing to give in. Both fighters putted almost everything they had into that blast, but it was more of Vegeta than Gohan that wanted to win. The attacks were almost even and it looked like both fighters weren't going to give in.

_I won't let this brat win. I am the strongest in the world not him. I am the Prince of all Saiyans; he is nothing but a common solider. I will not lose. I WILL NOT LOSE! _Vegeta began to put almost everything he had into the blast.

_No I can't let him win!_ Gohan also began to put an equal amount of power into the kamehameha. After a few more minutes of struggling, Gohan was deemed the winner of their energy battle. The beam hit Vegeta hard and he ended up unconscious with severe burns and cuts. Gohan picked him up and, as quickly as he can, ran back inside.

* * *

When they got to the medical room, Gohan went and putted Vegeta in the rejuvenation tank. He then went back to his room and took a nap, after eating a sensu bean. (AN:Bulma only made one rejuvenation tank so far, so Gohan had to eat a bean to heal himself)

A few hours later, Gohan woke up, went to the kitchen and found Vegeta eating enough food that could feed an entire town. Deciding to get something off his chest, Gohan said to him, "Vegeta, can I ask you something?"

Vegeta grunted and Gohan decided that it meant to continue on. He sighed deeply and said," Can you teach me more about our saiyan ancestry?"

Vegeta was silent for a few minutes and asked," Since when did you become interested in our great warrior race?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to go through my entire life not knowing much about the other side of me. The saiyan side."

Vegeta smirked and said," What makes you think I'll teach you?"

"If you do, I'll train whenever you want without complaint." Gohan answered hesitantly.

Vegeta was silent for a few minutes, and then said, "Whatever boy. But you must hold up on your end of the bargain. If you refuse, I'll stop teaching."

"Don't worry. I will."

"Good. I expect you in the gravity room at 5 am. Sharp. You better be there brat, or else." With that, Vegeta got up and left.

_This should be interesting._ Gohan thought with a smirk.

* * *

AN: I know it should be longer, but I wanted to get this chapter over with. Also, if you have any ideas on how you want the story to go, go ahead and leave a comment or PM me.

Don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I haven't been really myself this week (It's a long story) and I had a writer's block. Anyway I wanted to get this up before Friday next week because on April 8, it's my birthday. Yay! I managed to live another year! Lucky me! Oh well, please read and review.

Summary: AU Chi Chi does during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own dbz.

* * *

-A Hero's Journey-

Chapter 3

True to his word, Vegeta taught Gohan everything he knew about the saiyans. From the history to the language itself, Gohan tried to learn as much as he can.

"Saiyans are a proud warrior race. Not 'a gang of ruthless pirates,' as your clown-of-a-father so idiotically said. We take great pride in our strength and believe it or not we admire those with greater strength than us."

"Were they always purging planets?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta growled a bit before answering, "No Frieza and his father came to our planet one day and gave us an offer we couldn't refuse. It was either team up with him and do his bidding or perish. Of course we said no, but after an example of their true strength, my father, the king, agreed to his plans. That's when we changed and became cockier because when we started purging planets, we started looking down on those weaker than us. Before the saiyans just went to other planets and helped serve as allies in their wars. But after Frieza came, we started the wars, not end them."

Gohan looked down thoughtfully and said, "Wow. I never thought about it like that. I thought saiyans were just power-hungry, ruthless warriors who only care about themselves."

"Well that just shows how oblivious and stupid you are. You judge your own race before you get to know the true history. Your mind is too clouded with your own human morals that you don't take the time to realize what we saiyans had to go through."

Gohan stood up in anger and yelled in reply, "What about you? You think that Earth is just a place full of weaklings! You don't realize what _we_ had to go through to get where we are today! So don't lecture me about judging people before I get to know them because that just makes you a hypocrite! "

SMACK! Gohan fell to the floor with a large bruise on his left cheek. He looked up in anger and saw Vegeta with an angry look on his face.

Vegeta stood there for a moment before replying in a deadly tone, "Judging people before getting to- Boy! How dare you say that! See here brat, I know I have called the human race a bunch of weaklings, but it is true! You humans have no respect for each other and all you do is whine, complain and criticize each other for so many stupid reasons! The earthlings are so ignorant, so lazy, and so stupid that it drives me crazy! Sure some people care. My time here on this mud ball of a planet has taught me that, but you humans have no pride in yourselves, each other, or this planet! If you do have pride, then this planet wouldn't be dying and everything wouldn't be so messed up! Saiyans hold great respect for each other. We learn to cooperate when need be. That's why our planet was so advanced. The only reason why we seem so messed up is because of Frieza! That genderless lizard made us into cocky and ruthless monsters. We didn't always purge planets, we use to help them! So don't talk to me about being a hypocrite and judging other people before I get to know them!"

Gohan sat there in silence with a shocked look on his face. _Vegeta's right. If we weren't lazy and took the time to actually think, then our world wouldn't be so messed up. We could actually achieve __**real**__ peace in this world if we stop criticizing and judging people before we get to know them. _

Vegeta grunted in annoyance and said, "Get out boy. There will be no training today."

Gohan silently got up and walked away with a lot on his mind.

* * *

A few weeks passed as Gohan started to take more pride into the saiyan race. He realized now that the saiyans weren't always evil and that it was Frieza who messed everything up. So to show his pride in his race, Gohan started training more and acted more saiyan-like. But even with his new attitude, Gohan still kept his human morals in mind.

On the morning of May 23rd, (I don't know his real birthday. Also this part takes place a year after the Cell Games. I kind of forgot to mention that in the beginning.) Gohan woke up to a heavy load on his chest. He looked up and saw baby Trunks sitting on him with a huge grin placed on his face.

"Hey Trunks, what's up?" Gohan asked in a drowsy state. Before Trunks could reply in baby language, the door snapped open and in came Bulma, carrying Goten along. She came inside with a huge chocolate cupcake with a candle on top and began to sing "Happy Birthday."

When Gohan took the cupcake from her, he stared at it for a moment before looking up with an expression that said, _Is this really it?_

Bulma caught his look and smacked him in the head. "There'll be more when you come down for breakfast. I just wanted to come and give you a treat before you go downstairs."

"Oh okay. Thanks" Gohan blew out the candle while thinking _I wish Goten and Trunks wouldn't have the same life I had and that they would get the chance to be a real kid._

-Line Break-

When the party started, Gohan had the time of his life. Bulma invited the whole gang and it was one big reunion.

Krillan spent most of the time doing karaoke with Oolong, Puar, Chiaotzu, and Master Roshi watching. Yamcha, Tien, and Bulma were catching up. Gohan was playing with Goten and Trunks. The Ox King was mingling with Bulma's parents and finally, Vegeta and Piccolo were isolated from the group watching the scene around them.

When it was time for presents, Gohan received: a royal blue gi with black wristbands, shoes, and belt from Piccolo and Dende. Yajirobe and Korin couldn't make it, so they gave Piccolo a bag full of sensu beans and Goku's old power pole to give to Gohan. Master Roshi and Krillan gave Gohan an ancient scroll with new moves on it and a complete guide of improving your techniques. Yamcha gave Gohan a baseball set and told him that later he'll teach him how to play. Tien and Chiaotzu got Gohan a sword made of pure silver with black handle and sun-like gold streaks surrounding it. The Ox King got Gohan some toys and a PSP with a few new video games to go along with it. Bulma's parents got him a new cell phone, Goten and Trunks made him a card and finally, Bulma made Gohan a ki-absorbent gravity room so that he wouldn't break Vegeta's all the time.

"Thanks guys. Thank you all for the great gifts." Gohan said with a huge smile on his face. Everyone almost went back to what they were doing until the Ox King coughed to get everyone's attention.

"I have an announcement to make." Everyone turned to him and the Ox King looked to Gohan with great pride. "Gohan as you know our family has been running the Ox kingdom for years. Well, I'm getting to the point where I have to resign my place and give the crown to the person next in my lineage."

"Okay… I know that, but c'mon grandpa. Where are you going with this?" Gohan asked with much confusion.

The Ox King gave him a huge smile and said with much joy, "Isn't it obvious? Gohan, I want you to become the next king of the Ox Kingdom." To say everyone was shocked was an understatement. They all looked at the Ox King as if he had grown a second head. But after a few minutes, they all realized he would be perfect for the job.

"It kind of makes sense now that you think about it. I mean Gohan is the grandson of the Ox King, so it wouldn't seem right if he doesn't become the next king." Krillan said.

"Yeah, Krillan is right. Gohan's a smart and talented young man. If anyone could do it, I'm sure he can." Bulma said in agreement.

The Ox King smiled, turned to Gohan, and asked, "Well? What do you think?" After a few minutes of really thinking about it, Gohan nodded his head and answered, "Alright. I'll do it."

"That's fantastic! Don't worry about a thing. We'll have lessons on the weekends and I'll teach you everything you need to know about being a king."

"Great…" Gohan answered weakly. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, Gohan saw Piccolo with a slight smirk on his face. "Don't worry kid. You'll be a great ruler. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Piccolo." Gohan said with a smile.

* * *

Later that night, Gohan was getting ready for bed when he felt a familiar ki behind him. "What do you want Vegeta?" he asked.

Vegeta didn't answer, but instead he walked up to him and shoved a small box into his hands. Gohan inspected the box for a few moments and asked, "What's this?"

"Brat, just open it already!" Vegeta yelled in annoyance.

Gohan opened the small box and took out a silver necklace. It was a military dog tag necklace with his name on the front, but on the back it said in the saiyan language:

_An Elite Warrior _

_A true hero and a great ally_

_A saiyan hybrid worthy of being called a Saiyan_

"Vegeta," Gohan started to say as he looked up. But when he looked up, he saw that Vegeta had already left. "Thank you."

* * *

AN: Too short for my taste, but at least it's up. Also, when Vegeta was talking about how humans have no respect for each other, no offense, but that's how I kind of feel about our society today. I know there's other problems concerning the Earth and her people, but this is the one a common problem where I live. People have been prejudice against other people, it's a fact. I've done it, you guys probably done it, but that doesn't mean we can't stop it. People judge each other because of first impressions. They don't try to get to know each other before actually saying something. I know it's hard to not judge others, but trust me. Most of my friends today are people who didn't really gave me a good impression when we first met.

It's my dream to help our world and make it better. It's a big dream, but we are the future. We have the power to make a difference, we just need to try. I know everyone's not perfect and everyone will mess up at a certain point, but I want to do whatever I can to make the Earth a better place for future generations so that they won't live in a world of hate and war.

PM me or leave a message about how you feel about society today.

Anyway don't forget to review.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Hey guys (and girls)! So here's another update from yours truly. I give my thanks to all those people who reviewed and stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: AU Chi Chi dies during childbirth. Now, with no restraints on his training, Gohan must learn how to step out of his father's shadow and become his own person. Between new enemies, middle school, and help raising a new brother, Can he do it?

Disclaimer: I do not own dragon ball z.

* * *

The next day, the Ox King and Bulma decided to set up a schedual for Gohan so he can balance his prince duties, training, and other things. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Gohan would spend the whole day at the Ox King's palace learning how to become a proper prince. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Gohan would be at Capsule Corp. learning more about his saiyan heritage and training with Vegeta. Gohan would have the weekends off, but he would mostly spend it training with Vegeta.

Soon it was the first day of prince training and Gohan was nervous. Gohan and the Ox King were currently inside the palace waiting for Gohan's tutor to come in.

"So grandpa… Who exactly is my tutor?" Gohan asked.

The Ox King chuckled a bit before answering, "Well Gohan, I couldn't really find someone well enough to teach you so I got Seth, my royal advisor."

"Seth? You got Seth to teach me?" Gohan exclaimed.

Seth was a strict person. He had dark short brown hair, dark eyes, was about 6 feet and 7 inches tall and didn't tolerate insolence. Seth was about 18 when he became the royal advisor. The Ox King was impressed with his intelligence and decided he was good enough for the job. But, whenever the Son family came to the Ox Kingdom to visit, Seth was the one who was almost always assigned to watch Gohan. Gohan always had a knack for getting into trouble when he was little and Seth didn't like it one bit.

_Aw man… This is going to be one LONG lesson._ Gohan thought with sour look on his face. "Oh look, there he is now," the Ox King said, pointing to the door.

Seth walked into the throne room with a strict look on his face. He took one glance at Gohan before giving a deep bow and said, "Your majesties."

"Seth, I once again want to thank you for teaching my grandson about our history and culture." The Ox King said with a big smile plastered on his face.

"It is absolutely no problem, your majesty. I am honored to teach the next King of the Ox Kingdom." Seth said standing up.

"That's good to hear. Now I'll leave you two to get started on your lessons." The Ox King answered while leaving the room.

Seth watched the Ox King leave before turning to Gohan with a slight smirk on his face.

Gohan raised his eyebrows in confusion before asking, "What?"

"It's been a while since I've seen you, sire."

"And…?"

"I always thought you would end up… taller."

"Hey!" Gohan yelled. "I'm not that short!"

"I beg to differ. What are you? 5'4? 5'5?"

"I'm 5'2." Gohan mumbled.

"Interesting. You are even shorter than I thought." Seth said with amusement in his voice.

"Are we going to keep talking about my height or are we going to start my lessons?" Gohan snapped back.

Seth chuckled a bit before saying, "Right this way sir." Seth turned and walked into another room.

* * *

Gohan followed Seth and soon found themselves inside the library. "What are we doing here?"Gohan asked in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? We are going to be having our lessons here." Seth answered with amusement. Gohan mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question before sitting himself down in a nearby chair. "No. Stand up." Seth said with such command in his voice.

Gohan stood up, while Seth began to analyze him. "We have much to work on." Seth mumbled to himself after a few minutes.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Gohan said with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, first of all your posture isn't good. Stand up straight and look confident. It would make you look more like a prince. Next, you need better clothes. During our lessons, you shall be wearing a button-up shirt, jeans, and dress shoes. In the olden days, during parties, we would have you wear a tunic and the royal crown. But since it's a new generation, you will just be wearing a tuxedo. I would say something about the hair, but since it's always been like that, we will just have to make do with it." (Gohan has the same look from the Cell Games)

Gohan groaned inwardly before asking, "Anything else?"

"That is all for now. Now for our schedule: on Mondays, we will be working on etiquette. You need to learn how to act around other people. On Wednesday, we will go into history. Friday will vary. I could teach you horse-back riding, sword fighting, battle techniques; fun stuff like that."

"You'll teach me how to sword fight?"Gohan asked in surprise. Ever since Gohan got his sword from Tien and Chiaotzu, he had been waiting for someone to really teach him how to use it.

"Yes. Everyone in the royal family needs to learn some sort of defense, just in case the guards aren't there to provide it. However, it does depend on how much we need to go over. It also depends how much you annoy me. We could spend Fridays going over the long history of the Ox Kingdom instead of going outside. Besides I had heard that you are already a master at three different styles of martial arts. (Turtle, Demon, and Saiyan; in other words, the styles that Goku, Vegeta, and Piccolo taught him) So why teach you more defense than you already need?"

"No, no, no. That's fine. I already have my own sword at home and I've been dying to learn how to use it. So I'll try to cut back on annoying you." _Keyword: Try. _Gohan thought with a small smile on his face.

"Good. Now since today is Monday we will work on etiquette. When you see someone with a high social status, you bow like this." Seth said while demonstrating.

"Like this?" Gohan asked with a graceful bow.

"Yes. Then you ask how they are doing or compliment on their looks. Then they answer and you move on with your day. Now during meetings with other royalty in the world, you will be sitting on the throne, back straight, and a serious look on your face. The meetings are usually long, so make sure you get a good night sleep before it."

"What if I fall asleep?" Gohan asked amusingly.

"Then you shall be punished. The Ox Kingdom has always had a great reputation that brings great pride into our kingdom. I will not have you disgracing that honor just because you couldn't stay awake during a meeting with high officials."

Gohan looked at Seth in surprise. _Wow. He's like the human version of Vegeta._

* * *

Wednesday…

On Wednesday, Gohan came into the palace with a light blue button up shirt, dark jeans, black dress shoes, and the dog tag that Vegeta gave him for his birthday.

"Better. Much, much better." Seth said approvingly. "Now come. We must begin our history lesson as soon as possible.

The history lesson was long and boring. Surprisingly, Gohan fell asleep. A few minutes past, until Gohan woke up with a large smack onto his desk.

"Master Gohan, I advise you to stay awake during my lessons or you will not like the outcome of it." Seth said threateningly.

Gohan rubbed his eyes groggily before answering, "You know, you can just call me Gohan. I don't really like all that master or sire stuff. It makes me feel old."

Seth grunted a bit before saying, "It is required for every servant in this castle to call the royalty 'master, sire, sir, your majesty, or your highness.' It shows great respect to those who are more superior to them."

"So does that mean that the servants call you master too; since you are the royal advisor?"

"Yes. But I must call you, your grandfather, and other royalty: master, sire, sir, or other names that show respect."

"But I'm telling you, just call me-"But Gohan was cut off by Seth continuing his lecture.

_Yup. Another Vegeta. _Gohan thought as he lay back in his chair.

Gohan was about to leave the castle when a servant came up to him. "Master Gohan. Master Seth wants me to tell you to bring your sword this Friday."

"Really?" Gohan asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"WooHoo!" Gohan yelled in excitement. "I'm finally going to learn how to sword fight!"

* * *

Friday…

Friday finally came and the lesson was spent outside. Seth was wearing a long black and white robe with black pants and flat slippers. When Gohan came he wore jeans and another button-up shirt, but Seth made him change into something similar to what he wore during the week of the Cell Games.

"Let me see your sword." Seth said. Gohan hesitantly gave him his sword and Seth began to inspect it. "Truly a fine piece of art. How did you acquire this?" Seth asked.

"Oh… I got it for my birthday." Gohan said while scratching the back of his head.

Seth frowned and said, "You didn't make this yourself?"

"No. Why?"

"If you want to truly claim this sword, you will have to either make it yourself or win it from a battle. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel as special."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Of course." Seth then suddenly took the sword out and took a swing at Gohan. Gohan jumped back in surprise and yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Like I said, if you truly want to claim this sword, you must win it from me. Now no more talking, begin." Seth ran in and began to slash violently at Gohan. Gohan managed to dodge all the attacks until Seth cut him deeply on his left arm.

"Ow!" Gohan jumped back and grabbed his left arm. _Dang. I didn't know Seth was this good._

"If you want this sword, you'll have to stop playing defense and go onto the offense." Seth said tauntingly. Gohan growled a bit before scanning the area. It was then he saw Seth's sword leaning against the wall a few feet behind Seth.

_I got it! _Gohan began to run straight to Seth. When Seth swung at Gohan, he dropped to his knees and slid under the sword and right to Seth's.

Gohan took Seth's sword and got into his stance. _Interesting_. Seth thought before he charged at Gohan.

The two clashed at each other for what seemed like hours. Neither of them backed down and both gave it their all. Finally, Gohan managed to hit the sword out of Seth's hand. The sword went flying to the side and struck into the ground a few feet away. Gohan pointed his sword at Seth's throat, smiled and said, "You died."

Seth had a shocked look on his face before giving a small smile and said, "Go ahead. You've earned it."

Gohan nodded, handed Seth his sword, and went to go get his own. As Gohan grabbed his sword, Seth said to him, "You're a good fighter, master. But you still have a lot to learn. For instance, your stance is too open. Try brining in your arms more. Then you need to work on your attack."

"So you'll teach me?" Gohan asked while putting the sword back in its hilt.

"Yes, I will. As long as you don't bug me too much and actually try to pay attention during our lessons, I will help you. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Good." Seth answered before walking away.

Gohan just stood there, smiled and said to himself, "I was right. He is like Vegeta, but a little bit nicer."

* * *

AN: That's it for today. I kind of rushed the ending because I'm going somewhere. But here it is. Don't forget to review!


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. Sorry I took a while to update but I had a HUGE writer's block, plus my school is testing the next few weeks. I don't usually study for tests, but my history teacher sucks because we only did like two units out of the whole school year and now we're cramming in everything we need to know for the CSTs. The CSTs will determine what kind of class I'll be in next year, so if I do bad on that, I'll be in a class full of… anyway, wish me luck on my tests and don't forget: read and review (it's not that hard)

**Jarno: **The answer to your question is that Gohan's power did notdisappear. He just simply lowered it down to about Seth's power level. Think of sword fighting as a hobby for Gohan. When he was training for the saiyans, Gohan had practice with a sword but he hasn't fully mastered it yet. So the lessons with Seth help him.

Summary: (You should know it by now. So I'm not going to bother putting it up. If you don't know, then read the other chapters.)

Disclaimer; I don't own dragonballz or any of its characters. Seth is mine though.

* * *

The lessons with Seth were going great and Gohan was learning fast. Soon, Gohan and Seth were completely matched in skill. (AN: Only in sword fighting, not power levels)

"You died." Gohan said, pointing the tip of the sword to Seth's neck. Seth looked at the sword with a look of dissatisfaction and grunted.

"Yes, well, you certainly have improved sire." Seth said, while turning around to grab his sword.

Gohan smirked and asked innocently, "Was that a compliment I just heard?"

Seth growled before quickly saying, "Don't push your luck, boy."

Gohan laughed out loud before answering, "Anyway… why did we stop early? We usually stop before the sun goes down."

"We stopped because I need to get you measured for your tuxedo."

"Why would I need a tuxedo?"

"Why for the party next week of course." Seth turned around and began to walk inside.

"Party?" Gohan asked, while following him.

* * *

"The Royal Party is a tradition that has been going on for years now. Every year, kings, queens, princes, princess, mainly very important people, come together, on the third Saturday of every July, and just mingle. It's a day where the royalty either meet up with old friends or just talk, dance, or brag about all the good stuff happening in their lives." Seth explained, while Gohan was getting measured for his tuxedo.

"Why is it always on the third Saturday of every July?" Gohan asked curiously.

"July is considered a time where royalty can sit back and relax. It is a time where there are usually no wars, or a war had just ended. Our ancestors thought that this would be a good month for all the royal people out there to put asides their differences for just this one night. This is a usually a night where even the bitter of foes could at least develop an ounce of respect for one another. Usually, the people who hate each other don't acknowledge one another, so that they can avoid any sort of chaos."

"Oh. Is it always held at the Ox-King's palace?"

"Not always. The party is held different places each year. This year, we just happen to be the ones hosting it."

"Oh… that makes sense."

"I'm sure it does. Believe or not, this is the kind of party when young princes, like you, meet other princesses and suddenly become closer than friends."

"Seth!" Gohan yelled while, blushing crimson red.

"Yes?"

* * *

It was the night of the party and Gohan was nervous. He was not use to being around so many people. So, at that moment, his social skill was lacking.

"Gohan, calm down; you will be fine." The Ox-King reassured his grandson. Gohan took a deep breath and nodded his head toward his grandfather. "Good. Now, remember, this is the night where we announce that you are officially the heir to the Ox Kingdom throne. So be good. Okay?" (The Ox- King thought it would be wise if they didn't announce that Gohan was the prince of the Ox-Kingdom so that they could avoid the media for a while.)

"Okay grandpa." Gohan stood with his grandpa before the big doors that lead to the ball room. Inside he could hear people talking with one another, music being played and laughter all around the room.

Then he heard it. "May I present his majesty, Gyumao, the Ox-King!"(AN: This is technically the Ox-King's real name. But everyone mainly calls him the Ox-King)

The doors opened and the Ox-King walked inside. Gohan just stood there, taking deep breathes while waiting for his turn.

"I want to thank you all for coming here today." Gohan heard the Ox-King say. "It is a special night for all of us. This is a night of peace and prosperity. This is a night where we can all come together and not have a care in the world. But most of all this is a night were I announce my new heir to the throne… ladies and gentleman, I present to you my grandson and heir to the throne… Prince Gohan!"

Gohan walked through the doors and into the throne room. He and his grandfather were standing on a large balcony with curved stairs on both sides. The musicians were located where the Ox-King's throne should be and the snack tables were on both sides of the room. The room was filled with fancy decorations, and in the middle of the room hung a large chandelier. The men in the room were wearing tuxedos and the women were wearing fancy dresses with a lot of jewelry.

When Gohan had entered the room, the royal occupants began to clap for him and then looked at him expectantly. Gohan felt as though they were analyzing him to see if he was "royal material."

"Um… thank you all for coming tonight. I really appreciate you all for taking your time out of your busy schedules and coming here. So…yeah. I hope you all enjoy yourselves" Gohan said rather lamely. Everyone began to clap for him and Gohan turned and walked to the food table.

* * *

"You know if you're going to talk you shouldn't sound so unsure of yourself. It makes you sound rather lame." Gohan turned around only to face a boy around his age. The boy was a few inches taller than Gohan and had a dark tan. His eyes were a dark brown and he had brown shoulder-length hair with long bangs. The boy was wearing a black tuxedo and around his neck was a small circular coin, about the size of a poker chip, with the symbol of a phoenix on it.

Gohan gritted his teeth in responded, "Well excuse me. That was my first time speaking in front of a large crowd."

The boy smirked said, "You're excused. By the way I'm Ammon, Prince of Egypt."

"Gohan, Prince of the Ox Kingdom."

"I know who you are. They just announced it in front of everyone."

"Oh… right."

"You're not very bright are you?"

"Hey!"

"Whoa. Calm down. I was kidding, you know."

"Yeah right." Gohan mumbled.

Ammon sighed and said, "Look, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that these parties are usually boring and most of the kids around our age are snooty, stuck-up jerks who think they're better than everyone. So please show me that you're not one of them or I'll just die."

Gohan thought about it for a few moments before sticking out his hand and saying, "Hello. My name is Gohan."

Ammon smiled before taking Gohan's hand and shaking it. "I'm Ammon."

The two stood there for a few minutes, in an awkward silence, before a voice asked, "Are you causing up trouble again, Ammon?"

Gohan turned and saw a young girl with black long hair that was tied up. She had dark eyes and light skin. She was wearing a long dress that touched the floor, white gloves, a pink flower pinned to the left side of her dress, and a gold heart-shaped locket.

Ammon smiled to her before answering, "Why no. I am not causing any trouble. I am just acquainting myself with the new prince here. Gohan, I want you to meet Annabelle. She is the princess of England and the younger sister to Prince Anthony. Annabelle, this is Gohan."

Annabelle curtsied and said, "Please, call me Belle."

Gohan bowed before her and said, "It's nice to meet you Belle."

Belle gave Gohan and Ammon a warm smile before saying, "It's nice to have friends in an event like this. Usually everyone our age is such snooty, stuck-up jerk who thinks they're better than everyone else."

Ammon turned to Gohan and gave him a look that said _I told you._ Gohan shook his head and was about to say something before he was interrupted.

The guards pounded their staffs to get everyone's attention. Once they did, one of the guards yelled, "I present to you all, Mrs. Bulma Briefs and her family." After that, Bulma walked in wearing a silk red dress, and holding a sleeping Goten. While Vegeta walked in behind her holding Trunks.

Bulma smiled to everyone before saying, "Sorry I'm late everyone. We had a bit of trouble getting here." Bulma gave a quick glare to Vegeta who merely shrugged in response. Bulma turned back to the crowd before saying. "Please. Please. Continue on with your evening."

Everyone went back to what they were doing while Bulma looked around the crowd and soon spotted Gohan. She gave a wide smile to him before walking up to him. "Wow. You clean up good. Are you sure you're really Gohan?"

Gohan smiled a bit before answering, "Yeah, I'm sure. Bulma I want you to meet my new friends. Bulma this is Ammon and Belle. Guys, this is Bulma. She's my foster mother and president of Capsule Corp." Ammon and Belle looked her Bulma in awe before snapping back to reality.

Ammon looked to Gohan quizzically before asking, "Wait foster mother? I always thought you lived in the palace with your real mother and father."

Gohan looked down sadly before answering, "I don't live here actually. I live with Bulma back at Capsule Corporation. My real mother died giving birth to my baby brother, Goten. My father died in a tragic accident."

Ammon and Belle had a shocked look on their face before Belle said, "Oh… I'm sorry for your lost."

Gohan shrugged before nodding his head in his thanks. A small whimper came from the bundle of joy Bulma was holding. Goten gave a small yawn before looking up at his surroundings. He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Gohan. Goten screamed in joy before reaching out for Gohan.

Gohan happily took Goten before telling his friends, "Hey, I want you guys to meet my little brother, Goten. Goten, this is Belle and Ammon. They're my new friends." Goten clapped his hands in joy while Belle took him from Gohan's hands and started coddling him. "Aw… Gohan he's so cute. He looks almost like you."

Gohan blushed before mumbling a thank you. Then, Vegeta began to growl in annoyance before dumping Trunks into Gohan's arms. "Here boy, take my brat so I could get something to eat." With that Vegeta, abruptly turned around and walked to the end of the snack table.

Bulma sighed and said, "I better go make sure he doesn't finish it all. Gohan, could you be a dear and watch Goten and Trunks for me. They're already fed, burped, changed, and everything. I just need you to watch them while I go eat."

Gohan nodded his head in response and said, "Yeah sure. It's no problem at all."

"Thank you."

* * *

Gohan and his friends were playing with Goten and Trunks when all of a sudden a loud voice screamed into the room. "YEEEAAAAHHH! THE CHAMP IS FINALLY HERE. NOW LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

Everyone looked to the front door and saw Hercule Satan, along with his daughter, standing at the door. He was doing his infamous victory pose and soon people began to talk about him.

"Oh look. The royal jester is here." Ammon sneered. Gohan looked at Ammon quizzically and Belle just chuckled. Goten and Trunks were too busy playing with their toys to even notice what was going on.

"Why'd you call Hercule a 'royal jester,' Ammon?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"Because Hercule Satan is nothing more than a buffoon. He'll do anything for publicity and he thinks that he's king of the world just because he supposedly beat Cell."

"You don't think that Hercule beat Cell?"

"No we don't." Belle answered for Ammon. "We think that those mysterious fighters in the Cell Games did. Hercule claimed he lost his footing, but honestly I think that Hercule really did lose and he's just making up excuses so that he doesn't look bad with the media. Why? Do you think Hercule beat Cell?"

"No, no, no. you're right. I think that Hercule is making up lies just so he can boost his popularity. Personally, I think he's a no-good, lying, arrogant-"

"HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY FATHER THAT WAY, YOU JERK!"

Everyone turned and saw a raven-haired, blue-eyed girl glaring holes into their heads. Ammon just shook his head and said, "Excuse me. But I don't think we were talking to you."

"Yeah well, I don't appreciate you and your friends bad mouthing my dad when he risked his life to save us all."

"And you are?"

The girl scoffed in annoyance before answering, "I'm Videl. Videl Satan."

"Figures. Well, I'm Ammon. I'm the prince of Egypt and usually a prince, princess, king, or queen can do and say whatever they want."

"No they can't."

"Yes the can."

"No they can't."

"Yes they can."

"No they can't"

"Yes they can. You're not a princess. How would you know about what we can and cannot do?"

"Because I know people like you wouldn't want their people rebelling against them just because they have a lousy monarchy. By the way you act; you'll probably end up being a lousy king."

That comment struck a nerve in Ammon because he always wanted to be a great pharaoh like his dad. "Don't you dare say that!" He was about to jump onto Videl, when Gohan placed a hand on Ammon's chest and said, "That's enough. Stop arguing. People are starting to stare."

Ammon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Belle was rubbing his arm; while Videl just stood there glaring at Gohan. Gohan looked back at her with his hands behind his back and said, "Miss Satan, I advise you to not insult my guests. This is a night of peace and kindness. Not insulting each other just to see who would blow their top off first."

Videl glared at Gohan before answering, "Hypocrite. You were insulting my father before and so was your friend."

"Yes… but did I do it to his face? No I didn't. You, however, had the nerve to insult a prince straight to his face. That kind of treachery could have you removed from this palace at my command."

"Who do you think you are anyway?"

"My name is Son Gohan. I am prince of the Ox-Kingdom, son of Goku and Chi-Chi Son, foster son to Bulma and Vegeta Briefs, and older brother to Goten Son."

"Wait let me get this straight. Your parents were the finalists of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament; you're foster parents practically own the biggest company in the world, and you're the heir to the largest kingdom in all of Japan?"

"Yes that is correct."

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HOW CAN SOMEONE LIKE YOU KNOW SOME OF THE GREATEST PEOPLE IN HISTORY AND BE THE HEIR TO A PLACE AS INCREDIBLE AS THIS!"

Gohan chuckled a bit before answering, "Well, this night is for high officials. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't one. Besides, things just happen. My real mom was born into a royal family, which makes me and my brother a prince. My father met Bulma Briefs when he was a kid and now she is my foster mother."

"Foster mother… does that mean you're parents died?"

"Yes. Yes it does." Gohan answered flatly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your lost."

"Whatever."

"Hey. Since you're parents were martial artists, does that make you one too?"

"Yes."

"That's great! How about we ditch this lame party and go out and spar?"

Gohan frowned at that comment and said, "Nope."

"And why not?" Videl answered while beginning to glare at him.

Gohan looked back at his friends, who seem to be enjoying the fall-out between him and Videl, before turning back at here and answering, "For a three reasons actually: One, you insulted my friends. Two, you insulted me. And three, I don't fight amateurs."

"Amateur! Who are you calling an amateur?" Videl said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why you, of course."

"You jerk! I'm the winner of the junior division in the WMAT. I've been fighting since I was seven! Who are you calling an amateur?"

"So, big deal. I've been fighting since I was four. That means I have experience, speed, and strength against you. There's absolutely no way you can win." Gohan said with a shrug.

Videl gasped and said, "You lie."

"Nope. I'm completely being honest. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get something to eat."

With that, Gohan turned around and started walking away, leaving the people behind him to do nothing but stare at him in wonder.

* * *

When the party was over, Gohan decided to stay at the castle, so he can help clean up. When Gohan was getting ready for bed, he heard a loud knock at the door. "Who's there?"

"It's Seth."

"It's Seth who?"

"Just open the door already, you brat." Gohan opened the door and said, "That wasn't a very funny joke." Seth shook his head in disapproval and went inside. "Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"I'm here to ask you what went on between you and that girl tonight."

"What girl?"

"That girl. You know the one with the raven hair and blue eyes?"

"Oh, Videl? Nothing happened."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. I can hear you two arguing all the way across the room."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh well, nothing bad happened. She just insulted me and my new friends."

"Ah yes, Prince Ammon and Princess Annabelle. They're such interesting people."

'You can say that again."

"Yes well, you do know that you could've had her removed from the palace for insulting you."

"I know that."

"But you didn't."

"And?"

"Why not? If it were me, I would have her removed immediately."

"Yeah well I'm not you."

"I can see that… Oh, now I know why."

"Why?"

"You like her."

"What?"

"It's simple as that. You like the daughter of that martial arts buffoon, Hercule Satan."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. I can see the way you look at her. Admit it you like her."

"I don't. Now get out. This conversation is over."

Seth chuckled a bit before saying, "Whatever you say. Have a good night sire." Seth turned and walked out the door, leaving Gohan to mumble furiously to himself.

"I don't like her. I don't like her." But the last thought before Gohan went to sleep was, "_But she is kind of cute."_

* * *

AN: SO that's the end of today's chapter. I gotta admit. It turned out well. Anyway I want you all to remember that this is a FANfiction. I know Egypt doesn't have a pharaoh anymore and stuff. But in my story they do. So live with it.

Also, Gohan and Videl's relationship got off to a rocky start. But don't worry things will get better in the future. I hope you liked the story. Don't forget to review. Goodbye and wish me luck on testing!

Next Chapter: Gohan starts middle school. (Maybe. It could change.)


	7. Chapter 6

AN: Hey everyone, I just want to say thank you for all the reviews and stuff. But I just want to say one thing before I start the story:

I got a lot of reviews saying that they don't like how Videl was being a jerk and all. Well I just want to say that Videl was just defending her father because someone was making fun of him AND her. Think about it, wouldn't you get mad if someone you hardly know made fun of you, your family, and friends. I know I would. So in my defense Videl is just trying to stuck up for herself and her family. But one thing's for sure, she will change. Sure she seems like a jerk now, but she'll end up being the same Videl we all know and love.

Disclaimer: I don't own dbz.

* * *

When Gohan returned to Capsule Corp. Monday morning, he found Bulma, sitting at the table drinking coffee."Hey there kiddo. What's up?" Bulma asked.

"Nothing much, I'm just exhausted." Gohan asked tiredly.

"How are you tired? You had a whole day of doing nothing yesterday. You didn't even come home."

"I know. I know. I _was_ planning on doing nothing the whole day yesterday. I even planned on sleeping in because I was still tired from the party."

"Didn't you get any sleep that night?"

"Not really. I slept for about three hours and then I just woke up. I forgot why, but I couldn't really fall back asleep until around five. When I did go to sleep, Seth woke me up 30 minutes later saying I had a meeting to go to."

"You go to the meetings now?"

"Sort of. My grandpa and Seth thought it would be wise if I get a feel on what meetings with the people in my kingdom would be like."

"And… how was it?"

"Boring! The whole meeting was boring! I could hardly stay awake and all they did was talk. There was no action and I was stuck in the throne room all day."

Bulma laughed before saying, "Well that's how meetings are supposed to go. But I do have to agree with you. Usually when I have meetings with my co-workers, it gets so boring that I feel like bringing big sunglasses to work, putting them on, and make it look like I'm paying attention." (AN: Have you ever felt like that? When you get so bored you do something to make it look like you're awake but you're really not?)

"Have you?"

"Well no… but I'm the president of Capsule Corp. I have to pay attention during the meetings or something could go wrong. The same goes for you too. You're the prince, future king to be exact, you need to pay attention or something will happen to your kingdom."

"I guess so. Seth gave me the same lecture after the meeting. He said that if I'm not paying to what's going on I could end up agreeing to something I don't want or something bad could happen to me or the kingdom."

"Let me guess, you fell asleep."

"Maybe…" Gohan answered while giving the infamous Son grin.

"You _did_ fall asleep, did you? I can't believe you actually did, Gohan. I honestly thought you would be more responsible than this."

Gohan gave a weak chuckle before answering, "Yeah… Seth said the same thing and boy was he mad. He gave me a two hour lecture on how falling asleep during meetings is irresponsible and how it should never happen again."

"Yikes. Was it that bad?"

"Yeah."

"Well let's just hope it won't happen again. But hey, aren't you supposed to be at the castle having your lessons?"

"No. Seth decided to give me the day off because I went to those meetings yesterday."

"Oh, okay. Anyway, want to tell me who that girl was?"

"What girl?"

"You know, the girl from the party on Saturday."

"Who? Belle?

"No…the other one."

"Oh, Videl?"

"So her name is Videl, huh?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Do you like her?"

"WHAT?" Gohan yelled with a light blush on his cheeks.

Bulma laughed before asking once more, "Do you like her?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I saw the way you were looking at her. Plus, it sounded like you had a lot of fun arguing with her during the party."

"You heard that?" Gohan asked slightly embarrassed.

"Of course, silly. Everyone heard you two. They just didn't want to pay attention to it."

"Oh. But if I argue with her then how does that mean I like her? Besides she's mean and annoying."

"Well you were mean and annoying to her too. Besides that's how girls act sometimes."

"Really?"

"Yup. They're usually mean to a guy because one of two things. One: They don't like him. Or two: they like him and want to get his attention or something. And you my friend are the one she likes."

"How can you tell? I just met her."

"Call it a women's intuition. It's a feeling that I have. I can just somehow tell that she's the one for you."

"Now that's weird. Anyway, to answer your question: no. I don't like her."

"I don't believe you. Come on, she's the perfect girl for you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well I can tell she's strong and she can be intimidating."

"Yeah…" Gohan said almost dreamingly.

"She almost reminds me of you mother."

Gohan shrugged before saying, "I guess so. They both yell a lot. But they both know how to stick up for people they care about."

"Mmhm. So do you like her?"

"No!" Gohan yelled with a blush on his cheeks. He then left the room to go train with Vegeta, while Bulma was still laughing.

* * *

On Wednesday, Seth told Gohan that he had to go to another meeting, but Gohan didn't want to go. So about an hour before the meeting had started, Gohan decided to go hide somewhere in the palace and stay there until the meeting ends. Then he would just have to deal with Seth later.

"Master Gohan! Sire! Please where are you? We need you to get ready for the meeting soon! Come out! Come out wherever you are!" One of the guards had yelled as they searched for the young prince.

"Confound that boy. He will be the death of us one day," said another guard.

"Right, well we better find him soon or Master Seth will be furious. You two check outside. You, come with me. We are going to keep checking all the rooms in the palace." Replied the head guard.

"Sir Yes sir!" Then the guards all left to go check the rest of the palace, hoping to find their missing prince.

A few minutes after the guards left, Gohan came tumbling out the closet door in the same hallway the guards were just in. He looked around to see if there were any guards still around and then ran down the hall. After a few more minutes of running, he suddenly stopped at a corner because he sensed two energy levels down the next hall. "Did you find the prince?" one guard asked.

"No. Not yet." replied the other.

"Well we better find him soon or who knows what will happen if Seth finds out we couldn't find a young twelve year old boy."

"Nothing good, I presume."

"Yes; well he's not in the library, I already checked there."

"He could be changing his spot every time he sees or hears us coming by."

"Maybe, but let's keep checking the other rooms first. Then if we can't find him, then we'll just check everywhere once more."

"Okay." As the guards left, Gohan decided to head down to the library and just hide there until he feels the guards' energy level nearby. Then he would just leave the room before they came in and found him.

* * *

When Gohan entered the library, he saw none other than Videl Satan, sitting at a table, reading a rather thick book. _Hey it's Videl. I wonder what she's doing here._ Gohan then walked behind Videl and said, "Nice book. Want to tell me the title of it?"

Videl was so into her book that she jumped in her chair when she heard that someone was talking to her. When she turned to see who it was, she put on a deep scowl and said, "None of your business."

Gohan frowned deeply and said, "Well sorry for asking such a simple question."

"You are not forgiven."

"Geez what's your problem."

"My problem is you. You insulted me and my father during that party on Saturday. Even though I know my dad's an annoying prick, he's still my dad and I would do anything to defend him."

Gohan still had a deep frown on his face as Videl's words sucked into his mind. Gohan hasn't thought much of his father since he left him and Goten. But what Videl had said made him think. _ Would I still defend my dad even after all he's done? We'll yeah, he's my dad. I have to defend his honor. Still, he did leave me and Goten. But at the same time, he's trying to protect the world just so we can live in it. Huh… Videl knows sure knows how to make a guy think._ Gohan snapped back into reality when he saw Videl waving her hand, in front of his face and asking, "Hello… is anybody still in there?"

Gohan shook his head and answered, "Sorry. I was just… thinking."

Videl scoffed at the answer and said, "Obviously."

Gohan frowned deeply and said, "Look, I know you must hate me for saying those mean things about your dad, but I just want to say… I'm sorry."

"What?" Videl asked confusingly. She was certainly not expecting that.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being a jerk to you and your dad. It's just that I haven't been myself since my dad's death and I feel like everything's my fault. I feel like it's my fault that my dad doesn't want to come back and I was in so much pain. I don't usually show my feelings, so I just kept everything inside. But soon those feelings turned into hatred and I started to feel some sort of resentment at him. I blamed him because I thought he was being selfish and didn't want to come back because he just wanted to train. I honestly thought he didn't care about me or my brother."

Videl stayed silent as she listened to Gohan's story.

"But when you were defending your father, even if he does seem like he an arrogant prick, you made me realize how even though our parents seem like they don't care about us; we should always be there to defend their honor or something. They're family and no matter how annoying they get, we should always be there for them no matter what. So Videl, I'm sorry for everything."

Videl stayed quiet as she thought things over. Here he was, the jerk from the party, apologizing for all that he said. The must have taken a lot of skill to push down his pride and sincerely apologize. Videl thought about it for a few more seconds then said, "I forgive you."

Gohan looked at her in surprise and asked, "Really?"

Videl nodded her head and said, "Yeah. It takes a lot of guts to push down your pride and apologize for a situation like this. Since you're a martial artist, it must've been harder for you since I bet that you have a lot of pride in yourself."

"I do and it was hard to keep my pride down. When we met at the party, I thought you would be just like your dad. But you proved me wrong. You were nothing like him. At the most, you kind of reminded me of my mother."

"Your mom is Chi Chi, the famous female martial artist right?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's cool. Chi Chi is my inspiration. She inspires me to keep on doing martial arts and to not let anyone put me down just because I'm a girl."

Gohan smiled at the thought of his mother and said, "Yeah… but she gave it all up just so she can take care of me."

"Aw… that's sweet."

"I guess. So why don't we start over. Hi, I'm Gohan Son."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Videl Satan." Videl and Gohan sat there for a few more minutes talking, when all of sudden a palace guards came into the room. _Oh no! I forgot to keep an eye on the guards' energy level to see if they were nearby or not. Man, I was so into my conversation with Videl that I forgot. Now I have to go to that boring meeting. _

The guard's eyes fell on the missing prince as the let out a sigh of relief. "My prince, I have finally found you. You don't know how worried we all were. Come, the meeting starts in fifteen minutes, you must not be late."

Gohan decided to go with them seeing as there was no other choice. He turned to Videl and said, "Sorry Videl, I got to go. But maybe we can meet up again someday. I hope."

"Yeah. But it's okay I just realized I have to be somewhere too. So I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." With that, Videl left the room and down the hall. The guard quickly ushered Gohan back to his room, so he can put on his white robe with the Ox-King symbol on the back, black pants, and flat shoes. Soon he was once again rushed to the throne room to sit there during the long boring meeting.

* * *

When Gohan came into the room, he realized two things: one, he was five minutes late and two, Videl was there ,with her father, sitting in two chairs placed in front of the Ox-King's throne. "Sorry, I'm late everyone." Gohan apologized as he sat next to his grandpa.

Seth leaned forward to Gohan's right ear and whispered, "You're late."

"I know!" Gohan harshly whispered back. The Ox-King cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, and then signaled for Hercule to talk about whatever he wanted.

Gohan was not paying much attention to the meeting with Hercule. He was mostly focused on Videl. _People keep saying I like her. But now I'm not so sure. In all honesty, she reminds me of my mom. But she's not. They both yell a lot and are so strong-willed. But Videl is down-to- Earth. She is also willing to forgive those who insult her family. I don't think my mom forgave Piccolo for kidnapping me; then again, that was a different situation. Wow, I wonder-_

Gohan was snapped out of thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulders. He looked up and saw the Ox-King looking at him. "What do you think we should do Gohan?"

"Oh… uh… about what?" Gohan could see from the corners of his eyes he saw that Seth was giving him a deep glare, Hercule looked like he was going to explode from frustration, and Videl seemed amused by all this.

"Well, Hercule wants to see if we can fund for the schools, police station, stores, and etcetera in Satan City. The city's economy isn't doing so well at the moment, so schools and stores could shut down if something doesn't happen to help it," the Ox-King summarized.

"But doesn't Hercule have like a million dollars or something?"

Hercule butted into their conversation by saying, "Yes, well, I do. I just don't think it'll be enough to keep every shop open in the city because as you know, Satan City has such a large population, and I just want to give enough money to help the city, pay the taxes, and help support my family." At that, Videl secretly rolled her eyes at her father's pathetic excuse for not wanting to give money to the city.

Gohan thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "I think we should give them about 5-10,000 dollars about every two months. That should help pay for schools and police forces. Then Hercule can use his money to keep important shops and stores open."

The Ox-King and Seth talked it over for a few minutes, before they turned to Gohan and nodded their heads in approval. The Ox King loudly announced, "We decided to go with my grandson's plan and give you the money depending on how bad your economy is. Starting next week, we will send you a check to your house and you can give the money as a donation to schools and other important buildings. But be warned, if we find out that you are abusing this kindly donation, we will stop sending the check, and you will have to pay for the entire city on your own."

Hercule looked like he wanted to argue, but decided to let it go. He gave his thanks to the royal family, and left the room. Videl stayed behind for a few minutes and asked Gohan if she could talk to him.

Gohan nodded his head and followed her to the hallway outside the throne room. "What's up?" Gohan asked Videl.

"Well… there's this intergalactic tournament coming up hosted by XS Cash. This tournament is suppose to be a birthday gift to his son and I heard that there'll be real aliens there."

"That's cool."

"It is. So I wanted to ask you if you were interested in competing in the tournament with me."

Gohan thought about it before answering, "Sure Videl. I'll go. I'll even ask my friends if they want to go too."

"That's great! The tournament is on Saturday two weeks from now and it's on an island a few miles off the coast. Hope to see you there."

"Don't worry, I'll be there."

"You better. Well I got to go. See you then. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

As Gohan was about to leave the palace, he was suddenly stopped by Seth. "Uh oh, am I in trouble?"

Seth nodded his head. "Big time. Hiding from the guards just so you won't meet with other officials? Really? I thought you knew better."

"I do. I just don't want to go."

Seth shook his head and responded, "Well, you can kiss the next two Fridays being outside goodbye. We will be spending those two Fridays going over how our ancestors ruled this kingdom."

"Honestly, I should've seen this coming. But I expected you to be more… furious."

"Well, I am mad at what you did. But I wanted to talk to you about something else."

"What?"

Seth gave a wide smirk before saying, "Videl Satan."

Gohan blushed crimson before saying, "I don't like her!"

"Why sire, I didn't say anything about you liking her at all." Seth said almost innocently.

Gohan mentally groaned before saying, "Look we're just friends."

"Friends? I thought she hated you."

"She did, but we talked and somehow I ended apologizing for my behavior on Saturday."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Interesting. So what did she want to talk to you about?"

"Oh there's a tournament coming soon and she wanted to see if I could come."

"What did you say?"

"I said that I will and that I'll even invite my friends."

Seth thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "Alright. But you should invite her to a dinner after the tournament."

Gohan frowned at that comment and said, "Seth, stop trying to play matchmaker. I don't like her like that."

Seth just smirked, turned around, and said, "I have no idea what you mean sire." Then he walked away.

Gohan just stood there shaking his head. _And he says I'm annoying. Well I better go to everyone about the tournament. I wonder if they're interested. _Then Gohan left the castle ready to tell his friends about the new adventure waiting for them.

* * *

That's it. I guess. I know I said Gohan would be going to middle school, but hey things change. So yeah this is the same tournament that Bojack appeared in. Also, Trunks comes back next chapter. Yay!

Next Chapter: Intergalactic Tournament

Don't forget to review!


	8. Chapter 7

AN: Okay, okay, okay. I know you guys are made at me for not updating in a LONG time but chill out. It was the end of the school year and I had school, finals, projects, graduation, and personal problems to worry about. So I'm sorry that I couldn't really update soon.

Thanks to all those who have waited patiently for my update and thank you all for reviewing my story.

Here's the next update.

Disclaimer: I do not own dbz.

* * *

After Gohan left the castle, he decided to go and tell Piccolo all about the tournament first. When he landed on the lookout, he saw Dende helping Mr. Popo with the garden. "Hey Dende. Hello Mr. Popo." Gohan said in a cheerful mood.

"Hi Gohan! What brings you here?" Dende answered back.

"Well, I was looking for Piccolo. Where is he?"

"I think he's in the back meditating."

"Oh, okay. Thanks Dende, I'll see you around."

"Don't be a stranger Gohan. You know it gets kind of boring around here."

"Alright, bye Dende." With that, Gohan suppressed his energy level and walked to the back of the lookout. When he got there, he saw Piccolo meditating with his back facing him. Gohan smiled and was prepared to jump on him when he heard a voice say, "Don't even think about it."

Gohan frowned and replied, "You're no fun."

Piccolo snorted at the comment and asked, "What are you doing here kid?"

"What a student can't come and visit his mentor every now and then?"

"Not when that student is the prince of the Ox Kingdom and doesn't even bother to visit on the weekends."

Gohan laughed at that comment and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I've been busy."

"I can tell. Now answer my question: What are you doing here?"

"Well… there's this intergalactic tournament coming up and I wanted to know if you wanted to go."

"A tournament huh? Well, why should I go? The tournament is probably full of weaklings."

"Well, I know that. But, I'm going to ask the rest of the Z- fighters if they want to go. You know, to make it more interesting."

"I don't know about this kid."

"Please… it's not going to be the same without you. I really want you to go."

Piccolo sighed and thought about it for a few moments. "Fine I'll go. But it better be worth it Gohan."

Gohan jumped into the air full of joy and said, "Don't worry Piccolo. It will, I'll make sure of that. Now, I'm going to go on ahead and ask the others if they want to join. The tournament is on Saturday two weeks from now on an island a few miles off the coast. I'll see you there Piccolo."

Piccolo sat there watching his student fly off into the distance. He shook his head in annoyance and said to no one in particular, "I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

After Gohan left, he decided to go to the Kame house and tell Krillan about the tournament. When he landed, he saw Master Roshi sleeping on the chair with a dirty magazine covering his face. Shaking his head, Gohan walked up to the door and knocked. "Hey! Is anyone home?"

A few seconds later, Krillan opened the door and smiled brightly at the young half-breed. "Gohan! Hey, what's up little buddy?"

Gohan shrugged his shoulders and answered nonchalantly, "The sky."

Krillan shook his head and said, "Ha ha very funny. Now let's go inside and you can tell me what you're really here for."

Gohan had on mock hurt face as they walked into the house. "What has this world come to when an old friend can't take the time out of his busy schedule to visit his own friends?"

Krillan laughed at that answer and said, "Wow kid. You are really dramatic sometimes. You must've gotten it from Chi Chi."

Gohan smiled at that and said," Yeah… Anyway, there's this tournament coming up and I wanted to know if you wanted to go."

"What kind of tournament?"

"You know the usual; except rumor has it that "aliens" will come and enter to."

"Aliens? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not really sure. They're probably some fighters paid by the host to come and act like aliens so that he can impress the world."

"Probably. But hey did you invite everyone else too?"

"Well so far I only asked Piccolo and he said he'll go. Vegeta is going to be hard to convince, no one knows where Tien and Chiaotzu is, and Yamcha gave up fighting from what I heard."

"Oh… Alright I'll go."

"Really?"

"Yup, it'll be just like old times."

"Cool. The tournament is on Saturday two weeks from now on an island a few miles off the coast. It won't be that hard to miss it."

"Alright, I'll see you there little buddy."

"Bye Krillan."

"Bye."

* * *

When Gohan landed back at Capsule Corp, he sensed a familiar ki sitting in the family room. "No way." Gohan rushed inside and found Mirai Trunks sitting on the couch talking to Bulma and Vegeta. "Trunks! You're here!"

Trunks smiled and said, "Hey Gohan, long time no see." Trunks stood up and Gohan rushed to give him a giant bear hug. "Gohan I miss you too. But can you let go? I can't really breathe."

Gohan quickly let go and took a step back. "Sorry about that. Hey it's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"Well. I just defeated the androids of my timeline, but sadly my mother also passed away about a few weeks after."

"Oh. Sorry for your loss."

"Thanks. So I came here and wondered if I could, you know, live here with you guys."

"Of course you can. Right Bulma?"

Bulma stood up and gave Trunks a hug. "Certainly, we would love to have you here. Isn't that right Vegeta?"

Vegeta snorted and replied in a gruff voice, "I don't care as long as you keep up with your training."

"Oh don't worry about that father. I will."

"Good. Now I finally have a good enough sparring partner to fight when Kakarot's brat is away."

Trunks turned to Gohan and said, "Oh yeah… my mom told me you're taking those prince lessons every other day. How's that working out for you?"

Gohan shrugged. "They're fine. Really boring, but everything is going well."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah, oh that reminds me. There's this tournament coming up and I want you to enter."

"A tournament, huh; sounds interesting enough. Alright, I'll go."

"How about you Vegeta?"

Vegeta scoffed at the question and answered as he walked away, "Why would I join a tournament full of weaklings?"

Gohan frowned. "Aw man, I wanted him to go. It would make things more interesting."

Bulma smiled and Gohan and winked. "Don't worry Gohan. I'll make sure Vegeta enters."

Gohan smiled back at her. "Thanks Bulma. But hey, now that Trunks is living with us, shouldn't we call you something different so that we don't get mixed up with your past self?"

Everyone thought about that for a few moments and the Trunks answered, "You right. Well, how about Mirai?"

Bulma thought about that. "Mirai Briefs, huh. Well I guess. Yeah Mirai, that name really suits you."

Mirai blushed and said, "Thanks mom. Hey Gohan, wanna go and spar?"

"Sure!" Gohan replied enthusiastically. The two soon ran out of the door and flew into a large barren area so they could battle it out. _This is going to be a really fun tournament. _Gohan thought as he launched the first attack.

* * *

AN: That's it. Honestly it's not one of my best chapters, but I just wanted to get something up. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but since it's summer, I'll try to update faster. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.


	9. Chapter 8

An: Hey guys! Sorry I took so long to update, but I had a HUGE writer's block, plus I didn't know how to write out the tournament very well. I was planning to update before the end of summer, but I got side-tracked. Then school started and I joined a team so my free time got cut short. But anyway here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own dbz.

* * *

The tournament quickly arrived and Gohan was really pumped. He had trained really hard with Mirai and Vegeta in the gravity room and he felt like he was finally ready. "Are we there yet?" whined Gohan. He was stuck in Bulma's jet for about an hour and a half and he felt like they were moving as fast as a snail.

"We'll get there when we get there!" snapped Bulma. Gohan had been asking the same question every five minutes for the past half-hour and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"You know, I still don't see why, Mirai, Vegeta, and I couldn't just fly there while you took the jet." Gohan answered back.

"Well I needed someone to keep Goten and Trunks busy on the ride there and you and Mirai were the perfect choice. Plus, if I let Vegeta go by there by himself, he'll probably end up blowing something or someone up for a stupid reason."

Gohan chuckled at this and said, "You got a point there." He looked behind his chair and saw that Mirai was playing with Trunks and Goten and Vegeta just sat there staring out the window. Bulma's parents didn't come to watch the tournament because they were out on vacation.

_Wow. Mirai sure has gotten close with Trunks and Goten_. Gohan thought with a smile. _I'm really happy for him._ He was interrupted from his thoughts when Bulma yelled, "We're here!"

Gohan looked outside his window and saw a small island. There were large columns of platforms sticking out from the ground and the area was surrounded by water. (AN: It looks like the ones in Bojack Unbound). There were millions and millions of people around the island probably getting ready to watch the tournament.

When Bulma landed the jet, Gohan jumped out and took a deep breath. "I can't wait to compete."He felt a hand on shoulder and he looked up to see Mirai smiling at him. "You and I both pal." Gohan smiled back. "Now let's go find the others."

"Right." Gohan answered before running off.

* * *

Gohan and the others found Piccolo and Krillan waiting for them in front of the registering booth. "Hey guys!" yelled Gohan.

Krillan looked at Gohan and said, "Hey! You know for a moment there I thought you weren't going to come and that my chances of winning increased."

Gohan laughed and said, "Ha! You wish! But hey, where's Master Roshi and Oolong? Didn't they want to come?"

Krillan shrugged and replied, "They came. But they told me that they wanted to find a seat before all the good ones were taken. But if you asked me, I bet this is just an excuse to go find some pretty ladies if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know." Gohan said sheepishly while scratching his cheek.

Krillan then noticed Mirai and asked, "Oh hey Trunks! When did you get back?"

Mirai answered, "Oh, I don't know; maybe a few weeks ago. I just defeated the androids in my timeline, so I decided to come back and tell you guys the good news. But then my mom died before I came and Gohan offered me a stay here. So I gladly accepted."

"That's cool." Krillan and Mirai then began to talk some more about what's been happening.

While they were doing that, Gohan turned to Piccolo and said to him, "Hey Piccolo! I'm really glad you could make it."

Piccolo smirked and ruffled Gohan's hair. "Of course kid. I told I'd come. Besides, with Vegeta and Mirai here now, this tournament should get really interesting. "

Vegeta snorted and said to Piccolo, "What makes you think you could stand against a Saiyan's power, Namek?"

Piccolo glared at Vegeta and retorted, "I don't know. I guess you'll just have to wait and see what I'm truly capable of, Saiyan."

Gohan could feel the tension rising in the air and decided to cut in before things got out of hand. "Okay. Okay. That's enough. Just save it for the ring guys."

Vegeta growled at him. "Stay out of this boy!"

Gohan shook his head and turned to Vegeta. "C'mon Vegeta. Now's not the time for this. Just save it for the tournament. Then when we fight, you can take out your frustration on me. That is, if you last long enough for there to be a fight between us."

"You little brat! Have you forgotten that I am the Prince of all Saiyans? I have a power that anyone would kill for! Of course, I'll last the tournament long enough for there to be a fight between you and me! And when we fight, I'll pound you so hard that you won't even remember what happened!"

Gohan shook his head and smirked. "We'll see when the tournament starts, Vegeta. For now, I'll be waiting."

Vegeta growled and walked away. Bulma, with Goten and Trunks asleep in their strollers, went to go follow him so she can make sure that he didn't blow up anything.

Krillan turned to Gohan and asked, "Was that really necessary, Gohan?"

Gohan just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I know that wasn't the smartest decision getting Vegeta all riled up like that, but hey it's my way of getting him pumped up for the tournament. At least now I know he'll try his best to get a chance to fight me. Let's just hope he doesn't hurt anyone too bad before that chance."

"Yeah, me too. But hey let's go and register before we're too late."

* * *

When Gohan was done putting on his royal blue and black gi that he got for his birthday, he went outside to the waiting area to wait for the others. "Hey you!" a voice called from behind him. Gohan turned around and saw Videl running up to him. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." Videl said with her hands on her hips.

Gohan shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Well here I am. I told you I'd come."

"Good. I was afraid that you were going to chicken out."

"No way, I never back down from a challenge."

"Well that's good to hear. So who are you here with?"

"A couple of friends of mine, why?"

"Oh… just wondering. Are your friends any good?"

"They're some of the best around."

"Good. That'll give me more of a challenge."

"Gohan chuckled a bit and asked Videl, "Hey where's your dad? Wouldn't he get mad seeing his only daughter hanging around a boy, let alone the prince who give the made the decision of making him spend his money to keep the shops and stores open in Satan City?"

Videl scowled and replied angrily, "I don't know and I don't care! He's probably out flirting with some random woman or showing off his belt! I swear he makes me so made I just want to kick him so hard between the legs."

Gohan smiled at the image and said in a humorous tone, "That's a funny image. But hey before I forget, do you want to you know… hang out after the tournament?"

Videl stared at Gohan like he had just grown tail. (AN: Possibility of foreshadowing? Maybe. Is it going to happen? You'll just have to wait and see.) "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yes…no… maybe… I don't know. Why? Would you want to go on a date with me?" Gohan stammered.

"W-well I… I don't know. Maybe, but my dad would kill me if he knew I was on a date with a boy. He said, and I quote, 'There is no way my little pumpkin will ever go on a date with some punk! The only way you'll ever go on a date is if that punk can beat me in a fair fight!'" Videl replied with a blush.

"Don't worry; I'm stronger than I look." Gohan replied with a smirk.

"Wait… so you were asking me out on a date." Videl said accusingly.

"What? No I… look you just want to hang out _as friends_ after the tournament?"

"Okay. That's fine." Videl said almost disappointed. "Hey Gohan, do you want to introduce us to your new girlfriend?" Gohan and Videl turned around and saw Krillan and the others walking up to them.

Gohan shook his head and said, "She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends."

"Sure you say so now, but later…" Krillan replied teasingly.

"Krillan!" Gohan yelled. Krillan just laughed in replied and said, "Chill out bro. I was just teasing."

Gohan sighed frustratingly and began to introduce Videl to the Z-fighters.

A few moments passed until the announcer began to call everyone's attention. "Can I have your attention, please? Attention. Hey listen up! Now the tournament is going to start soon and I need to go over the rules. Now the tournament is divided into three parts. The first part is an all out battle-royale. The last person standing on their platforms gets to move.

The next part is a preliminary fight. The fighters will be matched up randomly to fight a one-on-one match. The person who wins this fight will be able to move on to the final division.

This last part is sort of a race. The last four fighters will be transported to different locations. In their locations, the fighters will have to win their fight against these aliens from outerspace. The fighter who can defeat their opponent and get back to the finishing line wins the tournament.

Now the rules are the same as the World Martial Arts Tournament. If you fall unconscious or give up, you lose. If you are knocked out your platform in the first division, then you are out. Those are some of the basic fighting rules. If you want to check for more rules, then please check the bulletin. Now fighters get ready because the tournament is about to begin!"

* * *

AN: So that's about it. It was a pretty decent chapter. I think. Now here's the thing. I have the tournament planned out; I just need help with the fight scenes. I can do the battle-royale (hopefully) but I need help win one-on-one matches. Don't worry I'll try to figure out what to do, but if I don't…. then we'll see.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please don't forget to review. It would really help with my writing.


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